Generally healthy male, just had bad six months and now have chafing when running

Question

I'm male, 29, 5'9" ish, ~ 70kg

My normal routine is Gym on Monday (weights only), 2hrs Kickboxing on Tuesday and maybe thursday and an hour of (pretty intense) 5-a-side football on Wednesdays. Then I do what I feel like Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

I've never quite had a six pack but I've never been that far off. 6 months ago I would have considered myself in excellent shape.

However, I changed office jobs 6 months ago and hated it, had to work late, was a bit stressed, it was in a crappy location so I ended up basically eating KFC and Cornish Pasties for lunch, got in the habit of skipping Kickboxing and Gym (going maybe once every three weeks) and pretty much buying a big bar of Aero chocolate every night on the way home from work. This is on top of the monthly Kebab and Ales I enjoy drinking.

I've never had to worry about what I ate before.. I just needed to make sure I had a salad and some Orange juice every now and again to ensure I got enough Vitamins.

Anyway now, I find myself with a bit of fat on my thighs. You know how you enjoy a good stretch? Well, from Kickboxing I enjoy doing this stretch where I literally spread my legs as far away as possible and "stretch my inner thighs". I do it all the time, like waiting for a kettle to boil or just whenever. It seems now I've put a bit of fat on my thighs and they've started chafing. This chafing is causing me some discomfort both in my regular routine and tonight when I went out for a run. (I ran about 4 miles?)

It's ironic I've always wanted to gain weight but now it's gone to one specific and rather uncomfortable place.

I've quit that job and gone back to my old job for other reasons so although it's too early to tell, I think I've broken my existing pattern. I smoke and am capable (although rarely do) miss meals if needs be, but I was looking for some "my-situtation-specific" answers to these questions:

• What's the quickest way to lose the weight between my thighs? A combination of skipping meals, (or eating only salads) and keep doing all my activities?

• I'm not an expert and I can't rule out that as I'm turning 30, it's my metabolism that's causing the slow weight gain. Any thoughts?

• Could I achieve the same results by say weight lifting more? Should I count calories, say, to ensure I don't eat more as a result of weight lifting and being hungry?

• Is it even possible to target fat in a specific area? If I don't have huge fat quantities, Do I have to lose my muscles on my arms first?

• What time frame is realistic for losing this weight?

• If I ran 3 times a week on top of my existing activities, could I firm up my thighs?

• Is there any other advice you could suggest from my paragraphs above?

I hope that I'm seen as overreacting but I don't think I have the same requirements of other people trying to lose weight?

Answer 1

Ok, lets address your concerns one at a time:

Quickest way to lose the weight is to resume your regular activities, and start eating a healthier diet. There is no "quick fix", it's taken a few months to put on the weight, it'll take a few months to take it off as well.

It's not metabolism, although that may play a part. You had an active lifestyle, and you went to a sedentary lifestyle. In addition to that, you let your diet go to hell. Weight gain was almost inevitable with those factors.

You could easily return to your "normal" physique by weightlifting more, and watching your diet a little more carefully. You need to be aware of what your caloric needs actually are, and eat accordingly.

Spot reduction is a myth. Fat in the body pretty much works on a Last In, First Out (LIFO) schedule. So if your thighs were the last part to get fat, then they will be the first to get lean.

Realistic time frame for losing the weight is probably about the same time it took to put it on, maybe a little less or more depending on how aggressively you pursue it. Running could definitely help, as it is a full body cardio workout.

I would first look at your diet, as your comment about salads and the occasional orange juice leads me to believe you really don't understand how much veggies/fruits and other nutrients provide essential vitamins/minerals and other items. Figure out your daily caloric needs, adjust your activity so that you aren't as sedentary, and definitely eat healthier than KFC, pasties (Which can be quite high in fat, even though they ARE tasty!), and chocolate bars.

Oh, and when running, etc., if you are having chafing on any body parts, bodyglide or other lubricant, or wear long lycra type underwear that covers the area.